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Press Release |
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first direct Turns to VeriSign to Build Trust with Online Customers
With VeriSign’s Extended Validation SSL Protection, first direct Offers Visible Protection to Enhance Safe, Secure
Internet Banking
LONDON – February 19, 2008 – first direct’s growing base of Internet banking customers can
now conduct business with increased confidence, thanks to advanced solutions
from VeriSign, Inc. (NASDAQ: VRSN), the leading provider of Internet
infrastructure for the networked world.
A division of HSBC Bank plc, first direct is the UK’s premier online bank. The company is
protecting its banking Web sites with VeriSign® Extended Validation
(EV) Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) Certificates. EV SSL allows first direct to provide customers using high-security browsers,
such as Internet Explorer 7 (IE7), with immediate, visual confirmation
that they have reached a legitimate first direct Internet banking Web site.
When a Web site uses an EV SSL Certificate to identify
itself, browsers such as IE7 display easily understood visual cues to
provide tangible assurance of a site’s authenticity. The address bar
turns green, a lock icon appears next to the address, and a new field
appears to the right of the URL in the browser. This field contains
the name of the organisation that owns the site as well as the security
provider that issued the certificate, such as VeriSign.
At the start of February 2008, 50% of first direct’s 885,000 Internet banking customers use Microsoft
Internet Explorer 7, which means they will see the reassuring green
address bar as soon as they access the Internet Banking log on page.
“Sophisticated phishing scams and stories of online
fraud can create doubt and concerns for internet users,” said Jonathan
Etheridge, head of e-futures at first direct. “To reassure first direct’s customers that we continue to provide a safe
banking experience on the Internet, we have implemented VeriSign Extended
Validation SSL across our secure sites. This enhanced protection will
help maintain a relationship of trust with our customers, and is a further
step in our fight against online fraud.”
Seeing the green address bar together with confirmation
of the bank name and the certificate issuer, in this case VeriSign,
gives first direct’s
customers confidence that they are visiting a genuine Web site and so
helps to build trust --an invaluable asset for any bank. More than one
in three of first
direct’s customers join because of personal recommendation.
Since one of the biggest risks in banking online is
identity theft, Internet security awareness group Get Safe Online (www.getsafeonline.org)
urges consumers to not be fooled by impostors. Fraudsters send emails
that look like they come from a bank or other trusted organisations
and contain links to fake Web sites.
VeriSign EV SSL Certificates make it easier for consumers
to follow Get Safe Online’s advice by helping to distinguish between
fraudulent Web sites and genuine sites.
Jonathan Etheridge commented, “The traditional padlock
symbol enabled on our Web site by VeriSign’s SSL Certificates has been
a key part of the interne banking experience for our customers for many
years. VeriSign’s EV SSL takes this to a new level on our Internet banking
and partner sites.”
first direct pioneered the 24-hour banking revolution 18 years
ago when it launched as the UK's first telephone bank. Having successfully
transferred its service formula onto the Internet, over 70 percent of first direct's
customer contacts and 40 percent of its sales are now made online. “Internet
users must be able to trust the sites they visit and the businesses
with whom they share sensitive personal data,” said Tim Callan, vice
president of SSL product marketing at VeriSign. “VeriSign EV SSL Certificates
help maintain that trust 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. It is encouraging
that first direct
has taken this step to ensure that its customers are protected from
the threat of identity theft online.”
As the most respected and trusted SSL authority on
the Web, VeriSign is the EV SSL Certificate provider of choice for more
than 2,500 Internet domains representing greater than 75 percent of
the entire EV SSL Certificate market worldwide. In fact, over 93 percent
of the Fortune 500 – and the world’s 40 largest banks – rely on some
form of VeriSign SSL Certificate authentication.
About VeriSign
VeriSign, Inc. (NASDAQ: VRSN), operates digital infrastructure
services that enable and protect billions of interactions every day
across the world’s voice, video and data networks. Additional news and
information about the company is available at www.verisign.co.uk.
Media Contact
Victoria Henry, vhenry@verisign.com,
+44 20 8600 0723
Weber Shandwick, LCurtis@webershandwick.com,
+44 20 7067 0513
Statements in this announcement other than historical
data and information constitute forward-looking statements within the
meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E
of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. These statements involve risks
and uncertainties that could cause VeriSign's actual results to differ
materially from those stated or implied by such forward-looking statements.
The potential risks and uncertainties include, among others, the uncertainty
of future revenue and profitability and potential fluctuations in quarterly
operating results due to such factors as the inability of VeriSign to
successfully develop and market new products and services and customer
acceptance of any new products or services, including VeriSign’s Extended
Validation SSL Certificates and solutions, the possibility that VeriSign’s
announced new services may not result in additional customers, profits
or revenues; and increased competition and pricing pressures. More information
about potential factors that could affect the company's business and
financial results is included in VeriSign's filings with the Securities
and Exchange Commission, including in the company's Annual Report on
Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2006 and quarterly reports
on Form 10-Q. VeriSign undertakes no obligation to update any of the
forward-looking statements after the date of this press release.
©2008 VeriSign, Inc. All rights reserved. VeriSign,
the VeriSign logo, the checkmark circle, and other trademarks, service
marks, and designs are registered or unregistered trademarks of VeriSign,
Inc., and its subsidiaries in the United States and in foreign countries.
All other trademarks are property of their respective owners
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